Orange Bowl notebook: Watkins adds to Clemson records

Friday

Jan 3, 2014 at 11:53 PM

Receiver has huge game as NFL draft beckons

By ERIC BOYNTON and MATT CONNOLLYStaff writers

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It's highly plausible that Clemson junior receiver Sammy Watkins played his final collegiate game, with the widely held view that he'll be at least a top-20 NFL draft pick in April should he forgo his final season of eligibility.The 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior added another couple of prestigious school records on his way out the door by passing Aaron Kelly's career receptions mark of 232 and tying DeAndre Hopkins' career touchdown receptions record of 27. Watkins recorded his eighth 100-yard receiving game this season and 15th of his career. He entered as the all-time receiving yardage leader with 3,164.Watkins had 16 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns to establish a new Orange Bowl receiving yardage mark, passing Stanford tight end Coby Fleener’s 173 in 2011.LOB CITY: With 11:05 left in the second quarter, Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd made the type of decision unsuited for a fifth-year senior when he stopped advancing toward the end zone to instead shot-put a lob toward Sammy Watkins. OSU freshman Vonn Bell leapt high to pull the toss down with one hand. It was third-and-3 from the 6 and Boyd easily would've made the first down, costing Clemson at least a short field goal try.JOIN THE CLUB: Sumter product Rod McDowell had to wait his turn behind the likes of NFL draft picks C.J. Spiller, Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper, but the Clemson senior logged the 17th season of 1,000 rushing yards in school history on Friday. He entered the game needing only 44 yards and got them all before halftime. He began this season with 674 career rushing yards.EARLY GIFTS: Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley sacked Braxton Miller for a 17-yard loss on the Buckeyes' opening possession back to OSU's 23 to force fourth-and-23. Instead, Beasley was called for a controversial “throat slash” unsportsmanlike call that provided OSU a first-down.Later on fourth-and-2 from Clemson's 49, OSU faked a punt to gain 6 yards on Jeff Heuerman's run and once again keep the drive alive. The 13-play, 75-yard possession took 7:06 and would eventually end on Braxton Miller's 33-yard touchdown keeper.DIFFERING PACE: Clemson ran 38 first-half plays to gain 362 yards to Ohio State's 37 for 254 despite the Buckeyes holding the ball for 6:34 longer.PAW PRINTS: Boyd's 48-yard touchdown run on Clemson's opening possession when he faked a handoff and ran straight up the middle, was the longest rush of his career, surpassing a 27-yarder against Auburn in 2012. Boyd established a season-high for rushing yards. ... Clemson linebacker Spencer Shuey recorded his first of the season and only the second his career when he dropped Braxton Miller for a 9-yard loss in the second quarter on third down. ... Clemson's Chandler Catanzaro hit the upright with 6:16 remaining in the second quarter for his first missed PAT since last year's bowl victory over LSU in the Georgia Dome, snapping a streak of 58 consecutive makes. Ohio State then had its next PAT try blocked by Josh Watson, Clemson's first block of any kind this season. ... The announced attendance was 72,080 with Ohio State winning the majority. ... Dorman product Brandon Thomas correctly predicted the coin toss in his final game for Clemson and the Tigers chose to receive. ... Boyd became the first quarterback in ACC history to have three seasons of at least 30 touchdown passes and tied Philip Rivers' ACC record with his 18th 300-yard passing game. ... Beasley now has the third most sacks in a season in Clemson history, trailing only Keith Adams' 16 in 1999 and DaQuan Bowers' 15.5 in 2010.

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